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Table of Contents

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................................................................... 3

INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................................. 4

ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS - The Marketing Environment ........................................................................ 5

SWOT ANALYSIS ................................................................................................................................................ 6

MARKETING STARETEGY ................................................................................................................................ 7

IMPLEMENTATION PLAN ................................................................................................................................. 8

FINANCIAL PROJECTIONS AND FORECASTS .............................................................................................. 9

EVALUATION AND CONTROL MEASURES ................................................................................................. 20

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 MARKETING AUDIT – MACMILLAN READERS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Peak Publishing is a textbooks distribution and marketing organization. Thin Marketing Plan focuses on an ELT literature
books series for secondary classes, Macmillan Readers. Macmillan Readers are a product of Macmillan Education, UK, and
Peak Publishing is launching the series for the schools in Pakistan.

Initially it gives an overview of Peak Publishing. Peak distributes textbooks from various other publishers and publishes its
own books also. Environmental analysis explains that publishing is still a growing industry in Pakistan with very few
publishing houses. Considering it a viable business several small printing and publishing firms are entering the race now.
But many new entrants and existing players fail to consider the fact that textbook publishing is different from general
books. Textbooks need to be made according to the curriculum and requirements set by the government. This is where
Peak has an edge.

Further we review the target market for textbooks. Schools are the target market which review, select and purchase
books from the publishers. Schools make a vast and diversified market which can be differentiated by certain significant
factors. Macmillan Readers have a focused, clearly defined yet big target market as most schools teach English Literature
as a distinct subject. We then treat Macmillan Readers to the SWOT Analysis, where we assess the Strengths and
Weaknesses of the series, and also analyze the Opportunities and Threats present in the environment where the readers
will compete.

The most important part of the plan is the Marketing Strategies and their Implementation. These parts discuss the
objectives to target for the Readers and how the Marketing Mix contributes to acheive the objectives. A month-wise
schedule is given to execute the plan.

In the end the financial forecasting and projected sales figures are calculated for the Marketing team to aim for. Forecasts
help in determining how much and where to invest and what results to expect. Controls and measures help keep the
process of Marketing in the hands of the Marketers. KPI’s determine the benchmarks for the Marketing team and the
organization as a whole.

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INTRODUCTION
COMPANY PROFILE:

Peak Publishing, London, UK, is a textbooks distribution and publishing organization. Peak Publishing markets books from
Collins Education, Macmillan Education, Letts Education and own books for schools in Pakistan.

Peak Publishing was founded in the 1990s and, since then, it has become firmly established as a distributor of high
quality school textbooks. We strive to bring educational publishing up-to-date with engaging student resources and
comprehensive teacher support to help schools introduce modern teaching materials and methodologies.

Our commitment to quality shows that we care about raising educational standards by providing books of international
quality. They are written by quality authors and based on the firm foundations of a good curriculum and syllabus.

We care about helping teachers to bring the education of their pupils into the 21 st century. We ensure that the style of
presentation of material in our textbooks enables teachers to involve their pupils in their lessons and develop their
thinking skills.

Head-office of Peak Publishing is in Karachi and marketing office for central and northern Pakistan is in Lahore.

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PRODUCT PROFILE

Macmillan Readers are a range of contemporary and classic reading books specially retold for learners of English
language. Being graded readers, level of each title is carefully graded in terms of vocabulary, grammar and sentence
structure to facilitate English course in secondary classes.

ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS - The Marketing Environment

Competitive forces:

There are mainly three major competitors with whom Peak shares the Market.

Oxford University Press: It has the biggest market share. OUP, being the first entrant in Pakistan (since 1952)
offers a wide variety of textbooks for all classes; pre-primary to college. OUP has differentiated products
according to schools’ standard of education, income level and the education system they follow. In the category
of readers, Oxford Progressive Readers are well-established and are a direct competitor of Macmillan Readers.

Paramount Publishers: It is the second biggest competitor as it offers a wide variety of books mainly to target
Matriculation schools. Paramount offers readers from publishers in Singapore. Books from Paramount have
ordinary quality of printing and are low priced.

PMA: PMA competes with Peak Publishing only for O-level schools. PMA also markets books from UK publishers,
namely, Collins Educational, Macmillan Education, Heinemann Publishers and Ginn Publishers. PMA competes with
Peak in two ways; in terms of market share and also in textbook projects from the principals. PMA offers a limited
variety of products to a limited number of schools in Pakistan.

Other publishers: Other publishers in Pakistan include Gaba Books, The Book Group, Fidem Publishers, NCE,
Sindh Textbooks Board are the other market forces for the said product in competition.

Compliance forces:

All textbook publishers have to produce and market books made according to the curriculum of the country they are
situated in. Peak Publishing, being in the UK, follows UK National Curriculum. For the subjects that remain similar
universally, namely, Language (English), Mathematics, Science and ICT, Peak markets books of its principals. But for
subjects related to Pakistan, like Geography, History, Social Studies and O level Pak Studies, Peak publishes its own
books.

Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) is a body of Cambridge University which regulates O level and A level
examinations all over the world. CIE sets standards and compliance measures for the publishers publishing textbooks for
their examinations. Semi-annually CIE publishes a list of books for every subject, to be used by the schools. The list
mentions which books are endorsed by CIE recommended by CIE as support or are advised by CIE teachers and experts.
Many series from Peak get endorsed or recommended by CIE.

1- Target Market - Profile of typical consumer

Target market for Peak Publishing is all the schools all over Pakistan. Schools can be classified as follows.

Primary Classification: Education System (Board)

Matric schools:
- Curriculum: Curriculum of Pakistan
- Session commencement: April
- Promotion and Book reviews period: November – March
- Classes to target: Pre-primary – eighth
- Recommendations from board: Matric Board does not issue recommendations.
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 Aga Khan Board schools:
- Curriculum: Curriculum of Pakistan
- Session commencement: August
- Promotion and Book reviews period: November – April
- Classes to target: Pre-primary – eighth
- Recommendations from board: AKESP (Aga Khan Education System of Pakistan) issues list of recommended
books annually.
O level schools:
- Curriculum: UK National Curriculum
- Session commencement: September
- Promotion and Book reviews period: December – June
- Classes to target: Pre-primary – eleventh
- Recommendations from board: CIE issues recommendations list semi-annually for all classes.
Recommendations are for textbooks and supporting resources.

Secondary Classification: Customer Profile

Students-Strength per class: Number of students per class defines the size of the school. It gives exact indication
of the magnitude of sales possible in each school.
Area: The area where the school is situated gives an idea of the academic level and financial status of that
school. It helps identify which books should be marketed in which area.
Mode of Purchasing: Schools either buy directly from publishers or use a bookseller. Discount percentage is
higher for direct purchasers and lower for booksellers; this policy exists to encourage schools to purchase directly
from Peak.

Macmillan Readers – Target Market

In terms of Primary Classification, Macmillan Readers are marketed in Pakistan for schools following either of the
education boards. O level schools are more preferred potential market for the series.

For Secondary Classification, preferred purchasers are schools with students-strength per class above fifty. Macmillan
Readers are high priced books and are affordable for schools catering to students from average to higher income class.

SWOT ANALYSIS
Strength
Grading reading books is a concept previously unknown to Pakistani schools. Macmillan Readers provide a
comprehensive basis for gradation in the levels it offers.
The series offers a wide variety as it offers two hundred books to schools to select from. It covers vast range of
genres of texts.
Macmillan Readers retain their original type of text, for example plays, novels, short stories etc. Whereas other
readers offered by competitors have all been changed to one type i.e. stories.
It offers a number of free extra resources with each title. Additional resources include video tie-ins, audio CDs,
author biography, character sketches, worksheets, tests, answer key etc.
Macmillan Readers keeps a strong and lively online presence through its website (www.macmillanreaders.com) as
well as social networking sites, Facebook and twitter.
Weakness
Macmillan Readers have to be imported from the UK. Shipment of order and customs clearances usually takes a
long time. This means that schools are given lesser time to review the samples and decide, so that the books
reach Pakistan by the start of new academic sessions.
Opportunity
Oxford Progressive Readers are the only popular literature books in secondary schools in Pakistan. Oxford
Readers offer limited titles, all converted to stories. They also lack extra resources to support books. Also they
have been running as it is since many years. Schools demand change now.
Schools are readily looking for new readers in the market. Also, they prefer series that offer more and more free
resources. Macmillan Readers are quickly gaining popularity as certain big schools have included them in their
course books.
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 Schools are eager to stay in constant touch with the publishers. The online support and activities offered are
considered very helpful by the schools.
Threats
Other readers in the market are lower priced. Price is the only threat factor for Macmillan Readers.

MARKETING STARETEGY
Objectives:
- To introduce Macmillan Readers in schools in Pakistan.
- Encourage schools to adopt the series. Increase sales of the Readers.
- To compete with OUP Readers for market share.

Marketing Mix

Product
Macmillan Readers are English Literature books for Secondary classes. Books and accompanying resources are imported
from the UK as per orders placed by the schools. Readers have more than two hundred books divided into following levels
depending on their difficulty level.
Starter
Beginner
Elementary
Pre-Intermediate
Intermediate
Upper-Intermediate

Following are the additional resources offered.

Extra exercises
Audio downloads
Audio CDs
Film/TV tie-ins
Author biography
Character sketches
Answer key

For assistance of teachers we offer an online User’s Guide.

Price
Price varies: Rs. 300 – 400

Pricing depends on the cost of importing from Macmillan Education, UK plus the shipping costs and then the profit
margin. Prices are kept affordable for schools having students from average to high income groups.
Place
Readers are only available for purchase from Peak Publishing offices in Karachi and Lahore. Direct purchasing schools get
free delivery at their doorstep. Booksellers have to buy the books from the offices of Peak Publishing.
Promotion
Promotion is done through direct marketing. Catalogues are delivered by the Marketing team in each school assigned to
them. Schools are asked to tell their preferences for the books they may want to include for upcoming sessions.
Marketing persons promote current and new textbook series.
Promotional Workshops
Workshops are arranged for school-heads to introduce the new series (Macmillan Readers). Salient features of the series
and their benefits are defined. Workshop leaders demonstrate how to use the books.
Books for Review
Sample books are sent to schools for review and use for maximum duration of three months. During this period,
Marketing personnel keep a follow-up with the schools to enquire their interest.

Comparative Studies (POD)

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Marketing personnel provide schools comparative analyses between Peak’s textbooks and competitors’ textbooks. Studies
highlight the features lacking in competitors’ books and covered in the books offered by Peak. Studies help identify the
differences and the features that are critical to quality for education.

IMPLEMENTATION PLAN
Following is the month-wise plan implementation schedule.

November – Plan Promotional Workshops

We select and hire renowned teaching experts and professional trainers to deliver workshops. For Macmillan
Readers we hire an ELT trainer from SPELT organization. Trainers are provided sample books for each level in the
series along with Peak standard templates for training. Dates for workshops are finalized considering the
availability of trainers.
We decide and arrange venue for workshops. Venue has to be easily reachable for the participants coming from
all parts of the city (either Lahore or Karachi). Marketing coordinators make all necessary arrangements for
requirements before, during and after the workshops.
Invitations are sent to school-heads and academic coordinators for the event.
Macmillan Readers Mini Catalogue accompanies the invitation to allow the participants to familiarize themselves
with the series.
December – Conduct Workshops
Workshops are scheduled on weekends from December till the middle of January. Three workshops are
conducted in Karachi and three in Lahore.
Samples of books (Macmillan Readers) are provided to each participant present for the workshop. Samples help
them review and make up an initial impression about the series.
Workshop leaders conduct the sessions and introduce the series. They define the bases, focus and importance of
the books for use in classrooms. They are required to highlight:
Significance of English Literature in schools
Curriculum requirements fulfilled by the books
Continuity and progression in each book and between books at different levels
Exercises for language development
Accompanying resources
Question Answer session and refreshments
One Macmillan Reader as a gift for each participant.
January – Books for Review
Workshops create a demand for the series. Marketing personnel visit schools to take orders for Books for Review.
Books are given to schools for maximum three months to review.
Marketing personnel follow up with school-heads and coordinators to discuss their liking (or potential issues) with
the series. They provide comparison sheets that show how other publishers’ books compare with Peak’s books.
April – Sales Orders
As book review ends in schools, Sales personnel contact schools for orders. Schools have to disclose their total
students per class and fill all essential details in the order form. They mention there mode of payment.
Sales people negotiate possible credit period that can be given to each school. Credit period depends on the past
dealing with each school. Maximum of a month of credit is allowed.
May-June – Shipment
Macmillan Publishers, UK ship the order forwarded by Peak to Pakistan.
Shipment is expected to reach and get clearance by the end of June. It takes at most two months for
delivery.
June-July – Sales
Sales orders are delivered to the customers and payments are collected.
Payments for credit sales are collected in the end of July.

August – Booklists and Books for Review Collection

Marketing personnel visit schools to collect their Booklists for the starting season. Booklists provide information
about each book being used in each class in any school. Peak ERP System is updated using the new booklist.
Books for Review samples are donated to the schools which have included the books in their booklist and have
purchased the same books from Peak. If the books are not included in the booklist then schools are asked to
return the books.
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 Schools are given the option to purchase the samples for their library.

FINANCIAL PROJECTIONS AND FORECASTS

Macmillan Readers are to be imported hence there is shipment cost for bringing the series to Pakistan. Other costs
include Marketing costs and overheads. Total cost can be evaluated as:
Cost of the item + Shipment cost + marketing cost + miscellaneous costs = Total cost
Where,
Shipment cost = 60% of Total cost
Marketing cost = 30% of Total cost
Miscellaneous costs = 10% of Total cost

Price of each book comprises of the total cost for each book. Cost accounts for 60% of the price and rest of the 40% is
the profit for Peak. Peak mainly relies on the sales volume to earn profits and thus does not keep very high prices for the
textbooks. This makes it affordable for the students to purchase and schools consider this an important reason to include
Peak's books in their booklists.

Unit price has an incremental effect as the good is imported; supply chain is managed throughout the country by having
reduced margins for high cost of delivering, or by providing discounting for the lowered delivery cost areas, provided that
the product prices are remained constant throughout the area of operations, operational core is Karachi and is
strategically important as the core customers are in the city, thus we generally provide discounting for our core or major
customers of Karachi and operates at lower margins in Lahore. It is to be noted that the delivering costs is generally not
that higher as it is the one time cost (semester starts - seasonal).

Customer bank
Our operations are from Karachi and covering the country from here, major revenue generation is done from the city as
there are many Cambridge schools. The city is the financial hub of the country and advantage of operations generally is
the existing infrastructure for business operations, easy penetration and specifically the large segment of our target
market. The customer bank is strategized as depicted in the tables below.

Customer Bank in Karachi

Areas Schools Customers per level Levels offered Total customer bank
CLIFTON 38 1228 4 4912
DEFENCE KHI 16 715 4 2860
FEDERAL B. 6 425 4 1700
GARDEN 4 365 4 1460
GULISTAN-E-JAUHAR 6 400 4 1600
GULSHAN 26 1145 4 4580
KARACHI CITY AREA 3 2360 4 9440
K.D.A./DHORAJI 1 20 4 80
MALIR 4 185 4 740
NORTH NAZIMABAD 16 727 4 2908
P.E.C.H.S. 42 2048 4 8192
SADDAR 13 891 4 3564
Customer Bank of Lahore
Area Schools Customers per level Levels offered Total customer bank
CANTT 8 1040 4 4160
FEROZEPUR ROAD 4 445 4 1780
GULBERG 22 1330 4 5320
JAUHAR TOWN 13 425 4 1700
MODEL TOWN 15 1125 4 4500
SHAHLIMAR TOWN 4 200 4 800

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We are covering the market with the four levels lined width of the product comprising of the levels for beginners,
elementary intermediate and upper intermediate. For individual level the estimated customer bank with in the cities is
mentioned as follows;

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 Level Wise Customer Bank in Karachi
Beginner
Areas Schools Customers per level Price(PKR) Total Revenue (PKR)
800,000
CLIFTON 38 1228 320 392,960 700,000
DEFENCE KHI 16 715 320 228,800 600,000
FEDERAL B. 6 425 320 136,000 500,000
400,000
GARDEN 4 365 320 116,800 300,000
GULISTAN-E-JAUHAR 6 400 320 128,000 200,000
100,000
GULSHAN 26 1145 320 366,400
KARACHI CITY AREA 3 2360 320 755,200
K.D.A./DHORAJI 1 20 320 6,400
MALIR 4 185 320 59,200
NORTH NAZIMABAD 16 727 320 232,640
P.E.C.H.S. 42 2048 320 655,360
SADDAR 13 891 320 285,120
Elementary
Areas Schools Customers per level Price(PKR) Total Revenue (PKR)
CLIFTON 38 1228 390 478,920
DEFENCE KHI 16 715 390 278,850
FEDERAL B. 6 425 390 165,750
GARDEN 4 365 390 142,350
GULISTAN-E-JAUHAR 6 400 390 156,000
GULSHAN 26 1145 390 446,550
KARACHI CITY AREA 3 2360 390 920,400
K.D.A./DHORAJI 1 20 390 7,800
MALIR 4 185 390 72,150
NORTH NAZIMABAD 16 727 390 283,530
P.E.C.H.S. 42 2048 390 798,720
SADDAR 13 891 390 347,490
Intermediate
Areas Schools Customers per level Price(PKR) Total Revenue (PKR)
CLIFTON 38 1228 430 528,040 1,200,000
DEFENCE KHI 16 715 430 307,450 1,000,000
FEDERAL B. 6 425 430 182,750
GARDEN 4 365 430 156,950
GULISTAN-E-JAUHAR 6 400 430 172,000
GULSHAN 26 1145 430 492,350
KARACHI CITY AREA 3 2360 430 1,014,800
K.D.A./DHORAJI 1 20 430 8,600
MALIR 4 185 430 79,550
NORTH NAZIMABAD 16 727 430 312,610
P.E.C.H.S. 42 2048 430 880,640
SADDAR 13 891 430 383,130
Upper intermediate
Areas Schools Customers per level Price(PKR) Total Revenue (PKR)
CLIFTON 38 1228 450 552,600
DEFENCE KHI 16 715 450 321,750
FEDERAL B. 6 425 450 191,250
GARDEN 4 365 450 164,250
GULISTAN-E-JAUHAR 6 400 450 180,000
GULSHAN 26 1145 450 515,250
KARACHI CITY AREA 3 2360 450 1,062,000
K.D.A./DHORAJI 1 20 450 9,000
MALIR 4 185 450 83,250
NORTH NAZIMABAD 16 727 450 327,150
P.E.C.H.S. 42 2048 450 921,600
SADDAR 13 891 450 400,950
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 Level Wise Customer Bank in Lahore
Beginner
Area Schools Customers per level Price(PKR) Total Revenue (PKR)
CANTT 8 1040 320 332,800
FEROZEPUR ROAD 4 445 320 142,400
GULBERG 22 1330 320 425,600
JAUHAR TOWN 13 425 320 136,000
MODEL TOWN 15 1125 320 360,000
SHAHLIMAR TOWN 4 200 320 64,000
Elementary
Area Schools Customers per level Price(PKR) Total Revenue (PKR)
CANTT 8 1040 390 405,600
FEROZEPUR ROAD 4 445 390 173,550
GULBERG 22 1330 390 518,700
JAUHAR TOWN 13 425 390 165,750
MODEL TOWN 15 1125 390 438,750
SHAHLIMAR TOWN 4 200 390 78,000
Intermediate
Area Schools Customers per level Price(PKR) Total Revenue (PKR)
CANTT 8 1040 430 447,200
FEROZEPUR ROAD 4 445 430 191,350
GULBERG 22 1330 430 571,900
JAUHAR TOWN 13 425 430 182,750
MODEL TOWN 15 1125 430 483,750
SHAHLIMAR TOWN 4 200 430 86,000
Upper intermediate
Area Schools Customers per level Price(PKR) Total Revenue (PKR)
CANTT 8 1040 450 468,000
FEROZEPUR ROAD 4 445 450 200,250
GULBERG 22 1330 450 598,500
JAUHAR TOWN 13 425 450 191,250
MODEL TOWN 15 1125 450 506,250
SHAHLIMAR TOWN 4 200 450 90,000

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From the expected sales forecast it is evident that the current region of operations has the highest expectation of returns.
Overall Revenue sources Contribution:

Overall Revenue Sources' Contribution

Area Beginner Elementary Intermediate Upper Interdediate
CLIFTON 392,960 478,920 528,040 552,600
DEFENCE KHI 228,800 278,850 307,450 321,750
FEDERAL B. 136,000 165,750 182,750 191,250
GARDEN 116,800 142,350 156,950 164,250
GULISTAN-E-JAUHAR 128,000 156,000 172,000 180,000
Karachi City GULSHAN 366,400 446,550 492,350 515,250
KARACHI CITY AREA 755,200 920,400 1,014,800 1,062,000
K.D.A./DHORAJI 6,400 7,800 8,600 9,000
MALIR 59,200 72,150 79,550 83,250
NORTH NAZIMABAD 232,640 283,530 312,610 327,150
P.E.C.H.S. 655,360 798,720 880,640 921,600
SADDAR 285,120 347,490 383,130 400,950
CANTT 332,800 405,600 447,200 468,000
FEROZEPUR ROAD 142,400 173,550 191,350 200,250
GULBERG 425,600 518,700 571,900 598,500
Lahore City
JAUHAR TOWN 136,000 165,750 182,750 191,250
MODEL TOWN 360,000 438,750 483,750 506,250
SHAHLIMAR TOWN 64,000 78,000 86,000 90,000

Location wise Revenues

City Area/Location Sale PKR Sales PKR
CLIFTON 1,952,520
DEFENCE KHI 1,136,850
FEDERAL B. 675,750
GARDEN 580,350
GULISTAN-E-JAUHAR 636,000
GULSHAN 1,820,550
Karachi City 16,709,310
KARACHI CITY 3,752,400
K.D.A./DHORAJI 31,800
MALIR 294,150
NORTH NAZIMABAD 1,155,930
P.E.C.H.S. 3,256,320
SADDAR 1,416,690
CANTT 1,653,600
FEROZEPUR ROAD 707,550
GULBERG 2,114,700
Lahore City 7,258,350
JAUHAR TOWN 675,750
MODEL TOWN 1,788,750
SHAHLIMAR TOWN 318,000

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EVALUATION AND CONTROL MEASURES
Following are the Control mechanisms to help keep process on track.

ERP Profile update: Each customer’s information is regularly updated by the Marketing personnel. The higher ups
readily check the updates and match with past sales visits and information entered previously. This makes any
change in contact persons, booklists, discussions and sales information clear and trackable.

Marketer sales information: ERP provides a list of schools which are catered by any particular Marketer. As Books for
Review are issued the list of books and school get saved with the Marketer’s name. This reminds Marketers to know
when to get the sample books returned. Sales invoices also get recorded which make the sales information record
available to all who have access to ERP. Thus expected sales and actual sales for each marketer can be taken any
time throughout the season.

Depending on the sales visits information, manager can re-evaluate and alter sales forecast for each school.

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